The last ever Coca Cola Cup final ended with a big bang when Zesco United humiliated Nkana 5-0 in the final played at Nkoloma stadium in Lusaka.
The emphatic final scoreline was the biggest result in the Coke Cup’s short-lived seven-year history with none of the other six previous matches ever breaking the three-goal barrier.
Nkana were classless against Zesco who barely broke sweat after benefiting from some sloppy goalkeeping by Kevin Mulenga who has done little to warrant a quick return to the Under-23 team with such a forgettable display in-between the posts.
Zesco were 4-0 up into halftime with goals from Rainford Kalaba, Clifford Chipalo, Nicholas Zulu and Enoch Sakala in the 13th, 16th, 34th and 45th minutes of the game.
Wedson Nyirenda’s men completed their rout of Nkana in the 57th minute when midfielder Yonah Mwango crashed in a low drive that stretched Mulenga who helplessly saw it roll inches wide of palm in what was a very forgettable day for the teenage goalkeeper today.
“We were too big for Nkana,” Zesco coach Wedson Nyirenda said. “When you are playing a team like Nkana from Division 1 you don’t give them space like Kabwe Warriors did (in the semifinals when they lost 1-0)or they will walk all over you.”
Nkana coach Beston Chambeshi said his men were now focused on promotion and brushed aside any notions that the defeat could have a menatl effect on their promotion race where they occupy on of t two division 1 north promotion slots in 2nd place behind Chambishi.
Welcome to reality, Nkana boys. Go back and enjoy your nursery school football in Div 1. Nicely electrocuted
Kalampa beaten 5-0 for that matter, it shows the difference between div 1 and de primara liga
Cha Nsoni!Warriors’ complacence cost their game and made them feel like they(Nkana)are kings.Zesco good job u have shown these boys the true colours of premier league.
Team ya ziko… viva!! Kalampa you are a spent force in Zed football. Like Nottingham Forest who were once European champions. All silverware is headed to Trade Fair Grounds.
Well, Nkana as much as the result is very embarrassing to your die-hard supporters, we urge you not to despair. We do know how hard it has been for you since the days of Moses, Jeff and Chibungo. We also know how poor sponsorship has cost our team. All we ask your management is to prepare for next year by going to Luapula, Congo DR and some midlands or rural areas and look for some revelation players and put together a formidable all-conquering squad. Remember, Ba Moze (Ba Coach) was highly skilled in this. A visit at midnight to “poach” wouldn’t hurt Ba Quick Silver! Please make a strong team next year where small teams such as ZESCOLO will not matter again! Go Nkana, go!!!
Mr Born Rich, you said it. Watch this space for the results..5-0. Hard lucky Kalampa and Born Rich. Just accept it Team ya Ziko is the best team in the country at the momment.
Hard luck to Kalampa though i did not expect a 5-0 bashing.Stuff like this happens in football.Coming to the Zambia Mambas game we were at the Super stadium to support the boys.I don’t want to brag but we have alot of talent in Zambia E.Mayuka,W.Njovu,S.Mwamsa, are a marvel to watch the boys were confident on the ball despite playing against guys older than them.C.Sichonde from the U-23 also played well in defense.The Nketani/B.Mwanza combination at the back is tight i see E.Tana and Sichone having a problem to get their places in the team.Mozambique had a full strength team.That’s the same team that beat Tanzania at home in the last Afcon game.Tanzania really did well in the last Afcon qualifyers the almost qualified as a best losers.For me to see i make shift Zambia team do well it gives me hope about the future.I watched SA who also had a make shift team,but the really struggled against Bostwana.The passing was bad thats why Parreira refused to talk to the Media his team was
Continued from # 7.terrible on the day apart from their new boy Tiko Modise the goal scorer he was a marvel to watch in the middle of the park. E.Mayuka to me really looks his age his a bit of J.Mulenga’s built but a bit short than Jacob you can see that chi mwaice though cha li kwata body.The guy from the Weekly Post who came to cover the game told me the boy is in grade 11.The were two other young boys whom came in the second half the boys can dribble twali sa ba pya nga ba Mamba.
It was good to link up with Kemps Mwelwa the guy on the blog and a few of the Zambians at the stadium.The game was taken to the outskirts of Pretoria but it was good to see a few Zambians there and we sang Ichipolopolo.The boys,Coaches and Kalu who was at the stadium came to say thanks for the support at the end of the game.
The priority for Nkana this year is to get back to the Premier while cup finals, important as they may be are a bonus and it can not make us sad because we are reserving all the energy for the league matches.
As for Zambia-Mamba game, it was good to note that there is abundant talent if only we can nurture it. And it was good to link up with Sibs-J.burg at the match and we had a good discussion on the state of our football.
Looking forward to a successful cosafa final against bafana bafana in October
Kemps M.Mwelwa who was the guy that was playing as a Holding Midfielder JERSEY # 13 you told his name but i have forgotten.The guy also had a very good game.
The guy who was playing as a holding midfielder is Francis Kasonde from Power Dynamos. He is a new guy with a similar name to another midfielder (Koje) now playing for Zesco United.
We still love you Kalampa despite the scoreline. We just want to see you back in the “super league” becoz thats where you belong. Congrats to ZESCO.
Sorry Sibs. I sent the above under anonymous because I used another pc where my name is not saved.
We enjoyed ourselves at the stadium. Even though the ‘Mambas’ supporters out numbered us, we sang the Chipolopolo anthem louder. Thanx guys for the support and we wish our lads the best in the final game agaist BB.
Kemps thanks, so that’s F.Kasonde from the U-23s that boy needs to be natured he can make it big time given an oppurtunity.RN it’s good you were in the stadium.
Kemps thanks, so that’s F.Kasonde from the U-23s that boy needs to be natured he can make it big time given an oppurtunity.RN it’s good to hear you were in the stadium to support the boys.
Its sad for our Kalampa history to have such a dent but then again a lot of us would have taken being beaten 10 bar in a final and walking away with K30 mills than being eliminated in the first round. Indeed we can do with such cash in so far as preparing for the BIG season is concerned.
The thing that matters is that our journey to the Coke final did not affect our performance in the league, if anything, it boosted our perforamnce in the positive way. However, well done Zesco, the pressure was on you and you won but thats about it.
The comments that there is that big difference between Nkana’s division one football and premier league is a fallacy. Kalampa has done well lately against established premier clubs and one result cannot change that.
Vamos the red devils!! We are coming back to the elite league and this time it will be personal.
Kemps, I will be in zed from 4th October and might, just might, trek to south just for a few days so keep in touch.
Good to hear from you antkaso and you are on spot with your analysis of Nkana-Zesco encouter. Nkana is a good side and they have proved that before but we need to cogratulate Zesco United as they add one trophy to their humble-cup collection on the Zambian soccer scene.
You should trek to south so that we can recollect on football events.
I was at Zambia-Mamba game and I really enjoyed the game as a makeshft Zambia demolished the weak Mambas. When you watch those boys play, you will surely believe that there is future for Zambian soccer
Ba Davy Chile(3), imagine my sorrow at the footballing lesson Zesco handed out to us!!Maybe Warriors would have been better opponents….anyway for us a cup final is testimony that we belong in the elite league.I hope Quicksilver picks up the dampened spirits and makes premier soccer a feature for us next season!!.
Ba Kemps(19),is there really hope for our beloved team on the international stage? Under Teddy Mulonga,we have always done fairly well or is it just mere coincidence?
If i check into the archives there was a hype about Nkana FC achieving so much and doing bla bla bla for the country, i remember telling those fanatical supporters that Nkana was then but this is now.Big teams like Man U ,Real Madrid, Barcelona etc were great back then and they are still great now. Those the teams we can call great, Not ba Nkana . They are finished
#21 We must understand that when we talk about Nkana we speak as supporters or fans and as far as we are concerned,we support the team through thick and thin. The fact that Nkana is in division one or beaten 5-0 by ZESCO can not make us quit or chicken out. We are not like those Manchester fans who only became vocal after the team won the 1999 edition of the uefa champion’s league and shifted camp to Chelsea when Abromovich bought the club shame.
That is why we say “Nkana for life” and in life there are ups and downs so we stick to Nkana like the tick sticks to the skin of the dog, till we die.
#20 I think the weakest points in our soccer are government and faz for their lack of strategies to promote our soccer. Why else are we struggling at international stage when we have abundant talent
Ba Kemps(22),the English FA are asking themselves the same question……with all their resources and talent how come they cannot make their mark in continental and world football!!We are not alone!!! The English FA are better equipped administratively but the Zambian record in regional and continental tourneys is better!!Could it be just luck ??
#22 and #23, it all has to do with management. You can have all the resources at your disposal but if you mismanage them, your won’t be succesful. I agree Zambia has talent soccer wise, but the admin part is nothing to write home about. The potential to win the Africa Cup even to qualify to the World Cup is there. A lot has to be done in the admin area otherwise mother luck will never smile on Zambian football.
Ba Kemps(22),Chelsea are indeed in problems.The “fans” are rebelling against Abramovitch and his way of doing things.Their new coach has no charisma or the required coaching license,Shevchenko is being booed and the future is quite bleak!!Ticket prices are sky high and people just cannot afford to watch every game!!Abramovitch doesn’t give press conferences to explain anything (not even the cost of his divorce !!) What English fans are seeing is the club forgetting that every club depends on the fans…the die hard ones such as us who support Kalampa!!Div 1 or premier we shall always support Devils !!
Kalampa cramped. Just stay in div1 where you belong for another year so that you grow up abit. Born Rich, ala ulikwisa?
Nkana will always be the most successful team as per history. Despite the loss, that doesnt take away the pride the team has.
Talking about COSAFA match in Atteridgeville, I was there although I only watched the first match btn our Chipolopolo and the Mambas. I tried to link up with some guys but never met any of the bloggers. I was actually seated with the Botswana supporters who were also supporting Zambia. It was good. Zambia played well considering the fact that it was a makeshift team. FAZ should organise formidable friendlies for AFCON in Ghana. I believe we can do better than before as I believe that we have good players now. I was very inpressed with Joseph Mulenga during COSAFA game. The guy is confident on the ball. Thats what we need.
#25 The Original Pundit, you are spot on Nkana for life. Lose or win we shall not relent
Billy SA, you should have come the other side where the chipolopolo fans(in greeen T-shirts)were seated, we might I have met. I was impressed with Mayuka’s skills. The chap is the star in the making. Mr Born Rich, what do you say about the FIVE NILL thumping Kalampa received from ZESCOLO????
SA to host COSAFA final
By BRENDA KATONGOLA
and KENNEDY LIMWANYA
LACK of an internationally acceptable national soccer stadium has cost Zambia a chance to host the 2007 COSAFA Castle Cup final, which has since been forfeited to South Africa.
The final scheduled for October 27 between Zambia and South Africa, the second meeting between the two countries at a different fora, was earlier scheduled for Lusaka, but will now most certainly be played in Bloemfontein.
Zambia’s representative on the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA), Chileshe Mukuka, confirmed the match would be hosted by South Africa, but could not verify the actual town saying it was not yet confirmed by the organising committee.
Chileshe said the organising committee that met after the weekend’s semi-finals involving title holders Zambia, who beat Mozambique 3-0 and host South Africa who edged Botswana 1-0 in Pretoria, indicated that the match would definitely be held in South Africa.
“I can confirm that the final will definitely be played in South Africa, but the actual town has not yet been confirmed by the organising committee,†Mukuka said.
Since South Africa hosted the semi-finals, any other country was scheduled to stage the final with finalists Zambia, the most likely venue.
But concerns were raised by the organisers who said Zambia did not have a decent stadium.
A combined team of FIFA and Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) stadium inspectors recently ruled out the dilapidated 43-year-old Independence stadium from hosting any international games for security reasons.
The regional body’s rules and regulations stipulate that the COSAFA final is supposed to be held at a national stadium in any given nation.
In their last meeting in Cape Town last month, Zambia beat South Africa 3-1 to qualify to the Ghana 2008 Africa Cup finals with 11 points and a better head-to-head record.
Earlier, South Africa had beaten Zambia 1-0 in Lusaka at the start of the qualifying rounds to next year’s Africa Cup finals.
Meanwhile, the Zambia soccer team has broken camp after returning from South Africa where the squad qualified to the final of the 2007 COSAFA Castle Cup following the 3-0 thumping of Mozambique in Pretoria on Saturday.
Team manager, Solly Pandor, said in Lusaka yesterday that the team that touched down at the Lusaka International Airport at 20:30 hours on Sunday night would regroup in two weeks’ time to prepare for the final against South Africa.
The team, led by FAZ committee member, Joseph Nkole, arrived back together with Zambia head coach, Patrick Phiri, who joined the squad in Pretoria upon his return from a coaching course in Germany.
While Zambia beat Mozambique 3-0, South Africa sneaked into the final with an unimpressive 1-0 win over Botswana in the double header semi-finals played in Pretoria.
Among the new players in the Zambian team were goalkeeper Mike Poto and his Green Buffaloes teammate, Sebastian Mwansa, Mufulira Wanderers’ Allan Mukuka, Kennedy Mudenda of Power Dynamos, William Njobvu of Lusaka Dynamos and Kabwe Warriors’ 16-year-old Emmanuel Mayuka.
Zambia’s goals were scored by South Africa-based Noah Chivuta who was also playing for the senior team for the first time, Mayuka and Njobvu who were both members of the Zambia Under-20 team at the World Cup in Canada.
Upon arriving back from Pretoria, the team was driven to Chrismar Hotel where they were feted with dinner and free accommodation by the hotel management.
The team was accorded similar honour on the eve of departure to South Africa when the Chrismar Hotel management hosted a farewell dinner.
RN Pretoria thanks man, I wanted to come to the other side but I was with my Botswana friends so I was forced to stay with them on the other side. However, there were some Chipolopolo fans also on that side. But it was fan altogether. Did you see how the Mozambique fans were quite after hammering them. They were so vocal at first especially that they outnumbered us.
A great momentum of support for Chipolopolo has once again started it seems.It would be nice to see club football achieving similar success on the continent!!
With the levels of support the national team is enjoying what a big shame the final cannot be held on home soil.Apart from from FAZ losing out on revenue,the hotels,lodges,restaurants,take aways, bus and taxi drivers have lost out too !!Woe be tide should we lose the final…..then we are all losers!!
The Chairman Mao Stadium must be completed soon and in the meantime let us refurbish the stadia we have !!
Kalampa, kalampa or is it mabolo ya kwa mpubwe. mwe mbwama mwe mwa nya mwaishibe ba mi fyonona ba tukala, buda ba ku yumfwa ba kolwe nefipato, mwa kashika imi lomo nge fipato fwaba kplwe